New Terraria State of the Game promises fixes for its most frustrating combat problems

A new Terraria State of the Game update is here, and developer Re-Logic is finally tackling some of the long-term combat frustrations that have been the bane of the sandbox game for many years. Head of Business Strategy Ted 'Loki' Murphy comments that the Terraria 1.4.5 launch feels like "just yesterday," but says the team has been "head-down working away on post-launch support." With balancing at the center of the next Terraria patch, he believes this next overhaul won't be the last, but hopes that crossplay can move up the priority list soon.

Murphy says that "balance is the name of the game" for the upcoming Terraria update 1.4.5.7. We've already heard a little about tweaking the four core 'classes' to make them all feel even, and some new options for early game magic, but that's just the beginning. The most exciting news here is the promise of "new tools to handle frustrations in combat," which include the likes of "aggro, invisible hitboxes, ranges, boss attacks, and following on Gastropods shooting you from offscreen."

While the exploration, gathering, and crafting elements are typically what come to mind first, Terraria's combat is central to the experience. As every other element gets polished to a fine sheen, those little annoyances become more of a stumbling block to enjoying the incredible large-scale battles that Terraria bosses and the likes of its enemy raids can offer. Struggling to land hits on enemies that you think should make contact, or being sniped by foes you can't even see, can be enough to make you step away for the night.

"In the process of our balance work, we have lots of deep and winding discussions about various issues and how to tackle them," Murphy explains. Among the fruits of this labor comes "new items for niche playstyles," including the teaser of a little sapling minion for Summoners that looks incredible at chasing down foes with relentless enthusiasm. There will also be updates aimed at "giving some less popular items fresh new life."

Among them is Daybloom - one of the many plants used in creating Terraria potions, and therefore essential to everything from exploration (providing buffs like Shine and Featherfall) to combat (Archery, Ironskin, Mana Regeneration, and more). Now, however, it's taking a more active role, with what appears to be a Daybloom weapon that fires a burst of projectiles ahead of you when used.

This wider scope means Terraria update 1.4.5.7 is "taking a good bit longer than the other 1.4.5 fixes," but Re-Logic is hoping to have it wrapped up "soon." Murphy notes, "As it is balance focused, we are certain there will need to be some tweaks in what we assume will be 1.4.5.8 before we can hopefully - at long last - call 1.4.5 done and move on to the wonderful world of crossplay."

With any luck, that means we should see Terraria crossplay testing beginning in earnest relatively soon. Meanwhile, the team working on mod hub tModLoader says it has completed the initial process of porting the system to 1.4.5, but the process of refining it to be ready for release "will take many months still." In the meantime, it's continuing to make updates to the existing tModLoader for Terraria 1.4.4, if you're looking to start a modded run.